Seven Steps to Managing your Destiny

Seven Steps to Managing your Destiny

No matter what tendencies we have, we need not be affected by them throughout our whole life. We have the free will to change.

What concrete steps can we take to bring about positive changes? We must be patient and diligent. It takes time before a conscious mode of behavior filters through into our subconscious and becomes automatic.

By understanding the implications of the following sequences of steps, we can teach ourselves to exercise our free will constructively.

First Step: Breath

It is our breathing that gives birth to our thoughts. We need our breath, which sustains our lives, to transform an idea into living reality. When we learn to control the quality and depth of our breathing, we channel our life force or prana—a subtle form of breath responsible for giving us strength and energy.
 

Second Step: Thought

Deep, balanced breathing—where our cycle of inhalation and exhalation is effortless—creates a state of inner calm where clear, objective thinking can occur. We become more focused on the present moment without losing sight of the greater context.

Third Step: Action

Once we are able to think clearly about a situation or problem, we will know how to act. We will be able to discriminate between what we want and what we need. We will be able to determine what is really good for us and what is not.

Fourth Step: Habit

When we practice positive patterns of behavior, we create a habit. While these new actions may require conscious effort at first, over time they become second-nature.

Fifth Step: Character

Habits provide the foundation of our character. Once a series of repeated actions becomes unconscious habit, we realize that we have begun to change our past tendencies.

Sixth Step: Behavior

Our behavior reflects the changes in our inner nature—our character. Others perceive us as wiser and more loving.

Seventh Step: Circumstances

With a more positive attitude and behavior, we find that the circumstances of our lives will improve. We find greater harmony in our work, in our personal relationships and in our spiritual life.